Web Exclusive: New Student Orientation brings campus organizations to students

For incoming college students, getting comfortable with a new campus while starting classes can be frustrating.

Students looking to become familiar with the University of Missouri-St. Louis and its organizations were invited to attend the New Student Orientation that took place on Friday, May 30 from 1:15 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The event took place on the second and third floors of the Millennium Student Center. Its purpose was to "help prepare first time freshmen students for their transition to life at UMSL" and make sure students are comfortable with the campus, according to Leah Jones, Student Services advisor.

Jones said the students and potential students at the orientation talked to current students and faculty within their degree program. They also attended a session on financial planning and learned how to use MyGateway and MyView.

Jones said there was also a campus tour that took the form of a scavenger hunt.

Those attending the event were also able to visit the Student Organization Showcase and Marketplace where they could learn about the different departments and organizations on campus. Many students came to the event with their parents, but overall attendance was low. Those familiar with the event explained that this was not uncommon for the first orientation of the summer.

Student Government Association President GraceMarie Ritter, who helped out at the event as one of the approximately 20 student mentors said the first orientation is always small.

"This one is actually a little abnormally small since we have about 30 students and their parents, but normally we have around 70 to 80 students," Ritter said.

Orientation mentor Kelcy Siddall said he saw "14 parents and not even 40 students."

The low turnout on Friday meant that students looking to get the word out about organizations or to recruit new members to them did not have much success as they said they had hoped.

However, Tabitha Scott, marketing coordinator, University Housing assisted students who showed up for the orientation about housing. "We've had quite a few students interested in living on campus, which makes next year look really good," she said.

Unlike other organizations on campus, SGA did not have a booth set up for the showcase, but his did not keep SGA members from being involved with the orientation. Ritter and Dorian Hall, SGA comptroller, worked as senior mentors during the event.

Ritter said it helped that SGA officers could work as mentors with the students, but the lack of a booth left the students without "cold, hard things to look at and actually read."

"We are hoping to have [a booth] at the next orientation," she said.

Despite the low attendance, students and organization members said they found the orientation to be enjoyable and informative.

"I like New Student Orientation because it's a lot of fun," Ritter said. "You get to meet all of the new students and tell them why you love UMSL so much, and I really do like this school a lot."

Other students echoed Ritter's sentiments about the event. Shaz Pervaiz, senior, mechanical engineering, said he taught the attendees about computers and how to make use of MyGateway and MyView. "This is the first time I've ever seen [the orientation], but I really liked it," he said.

Svetlana Krasteva, graduate student, management information systems said that although she had been at UM-St. Louis since the fall of 2006, this was the first orientation she attended and she said she loved it.

There will be three more New Student Orientations taking place in the MSC this summer. The next one will be held on Thursday, June 26 from 4:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. The following one is scheduled for Friday, July 25 and will begin at 1:15 p.m. and end at 2 p.m. The last one will take place on Saturday, August 9 and will run from 1:15 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Three Transfer Student Orientations will also take place this summer. On Tuesday, July 22 one will be held in the lobby of the J.C. Penney Building from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. A second TSO will be held on Tuesday, July 29 in the Provincial House from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The final TSO will be held in the J. C. Penney Building lobby on Tuesday August 12 from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m.